Fall arts 2010: Exhibits

By Jennifer ModenessiContra Costa Times

Posted:
08/26/2010 01:00:00 AM PDT

Click photo to enlarge

This portrait of Vincent Van Gogh was painted in 1887. It's one of 120 works of art on display in "Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne and Beyond: Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the Musee d'Orsay" at the de Young Museum.

For the past several months, Bay Area art lovers have been treated to works by Impressionist masters in a stunning exhibit showcasing a selection of holdings from France's renowned Musee d'Orsay.

If the 100 paintings and sculptures by the likes of Claude Monet, Pierre August Renoir and Paul Cezanne in "Birth of Impressionism," aren't dazzling enough, prepare yourself. The d'Orsay has temporarily loaned an additional 120 pieces of art including Paul Gauguin's sultry tropical landscapes and figure studies, Henri de Toulouse Lautrec's boisterous can-can dancers and Vincent Van Gogh's passionate views of Paris and Provence -- not to mention one of the painter's famed self-portraits -- to the de Young Museum. The works will be exhibited in "Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne and Beyond: Post Impressionist Masterpieces from the Musee d'Orsay," which opens Sept. 25.

Like the preceding "Birth of Impressionism," which closes Sept. 6, this exhibit is being billed as a once-in-a-lifetime experience: such a large number of works rarely, if ever, leave the d'Orsay. But thanks to the museum's current renovation, parts of the collection have been packed up, shipped out and sent on tour. San Francisco is the only North American stop for this exhibit.

But this isn't just a greatest hits package. The carefully curated show includes a number of works by lesser-known but equally important artists such as Emile Bernard and Maurice Denis, both Symbolist painters, as well as others whose innovations paved the way for later movements such as expressionism and abstraction.

Advertisement

If a trip to Paris isn't on the horizon, make sure you don't miss this.

"The American Scene: New Deal Art, 1935-1943": To honor the 75th anniversary of the Works Progress Administration (later renamed the Works Projects Administration and known as the WPA), a government agency which employed many American artists, writers, musicians and playwrights during the 1930s, Walnut Creek's Bedford Gallery has assembled this survey of 80 paintings, drawings, photographs and prints from prominent Bay Area collections, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Achenbach Foundation and the Oakland Museum of California. Details: Oct. 3-Dec. 19; $2-$5; 925-295-1417, www.bedfordgallery.org.

"By Hand: The Fine Art of Craft": The creations of Bay Area craft luminaries including Gary Knox Bennett, Marvin Lipofsky, Erin McGuiness and Florence Resnikoff take center stage in this survey at the Hearst Art Gallery of Saint Mary's College in Moraga. Be sure to catch the panel discussion, reception and demonstration when the show opens Oct. 10. Details: Through Dec. 12; $4; 925-631-4379, www.hearstartgallery.org.

"Japanesque: The Japanese Print in the Era of Impressionism": Think of this exhibit, which opens at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco Oct. 16, as a companion to the large Post-Impressionist show at the de Young. Featuring more than 250 prints by revered artists such as Ando Hiroshige, Katsushika Hokusai, Mary Cassatt and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, this display examines the art of the Japanese print and it's profound influence on Westerners. Details: Oct. 16-Jan. 9, 2011; $6-$10; 415-750-3600, www.famsf.org.

"Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern Century" and "Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera Since 1870": Officials at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is not shy about their dedication to photography. So they're offering not one but two major presentations. "Exposed" is a joint venture with the Tate Modern in London that hones in on the camera's use as a powerful, voyeuristic tool. "Henri Cartier-Bresson" gathers about three hundred of the French photographer's images that not only demonstrate Cartier-Bresson's powerful influence and range but serve as a document of major 20th-century events. Details: Oct. 30-Jan. 30, 2011; $9-$18; 415-357-4000, www.sfmoma.org.